


Undercovers Operation

by RaeDMagdon, Revans_Mask



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Angry Sex, Belligerent Sexual Tension, Cunnilingus, Dubious Consent, F/F, Groping, Public Humiliation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-30
Updated: 2019-01-21
Packaged: 2019-07-20 18:16:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16142810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaeDMagdon/pseuds/RaeDMagdon, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Revans_Mask/pseuds/Revans_Mask
Summary: Since they first joined the Normandy, Jack and Miranda have learned how to avoid killing each other, even if they still can't acknowledge ALL of their feelings. When a series of mysterious disappearances brings them together years later, they may find themselves doing both of those things, possibly at the same time.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Shockingly, RaeDMagon and Revan's Mask have never written a Jackanda story together, so we're going to remedy that. This is going to be a mid-length one, maybe 6-8 chapters or so. We hope you like it.

“What do we know so far?”

On the other side of the vid-link, Miranda saw Liara’s brow furrow. “Not as much as I’d like. The fact that these kidnappings are linked only became apparent recently. It’s hard to separate the signal from the noise these days.”

Miranda understood the problem only too well. Although the galaxy had done an impressive job of pulling itself back together, it was still a much messier place than it had been before the Reaper War. Amidst all the rebuilding, it was only natural that people would move around, often as refugees. Rather than being surprised it had taken Liara so long to realize the disappearances of a dozen human biotics might be connected, Miranda was impressed she had put it together so quickly.

“The abductions themselves have been quite professional,” Liara continued. “There were no witnesses, and no useful forensic evidence left behind. However, my informants have told me they kept hearing a name come up: Evan Dane.”

Miranda raised an eyebrow. “And naturally, you thought of me.”

“Unfortunately, my own information about the man is somewhat limited. I know he was part of Alliance intelligence before he joined up with Cerberus, but although some of my agents brushed up against him over the years, his exact role in the organization remains unclear.”

Miranda’s mouth formed a tight smile. “That’s no surprise. Evan wasn’t in charge of any particular thing at Cerberus. He was more of a facilitator than a leader.”

“But you did know him?”

“Oh, certainly. He helped smuggle some of the nanotechnology I used in the Lazarus Project out of Salarian space. It was a good working relationship, although I wouldn’t say we were friends. We haven’t spoken since I left Cerberus.”

“Do you think he would be receptive to contact?”

“It’s possible, at least if I could find him. He mouthed the right sentiments when he was with Cerberus, but he wasn’t a true believer. For him, it was all about the money, so if he thinks the same is true of me these days, we could probably do business.”

Indeed, Evan’s cynical opportunism was probably why he was still alive, Miranda reflected. All the true believers had gone down with the ship, lost to indoctrination and the suicidal violence of Cerberus’ final days. Only rats had gotten off the sinking ship in time.

“I would appreciate your assistance,” Liara told her. “Whatever Evan wants these biotics for can’t be good, and more than that, this last disappearance hits close to home.”

“What do you mean by that?” Miranda asked, although she didn’t need extra motivation to help. Working as a consultant for the Alliance was a perfectly good job: useful, intellectually stimulating, and mostly safe. And yet, something in her was eager for the return of a little excitement to her life.

“This was brought to my attention because the last three abductions occured in Illyria, on Elysium. One of the victims was a student from Grissom Academy on break.”

Miranda tried not to let her face fall. Little could’ve cooled her enthusiasm for going back in the field again as fast as the knowledge she’d have to deal with Jack. Still, she wasn’t about to let their contentious history stop her. She _would_ get to this bottom of these disappearances, even if it killed her.

_Or if I have to kill Jack._

That was a bit of an exaggeration. She and Jack weren’t likely to actually come to blows, although Miranda wouldn’t precisely call them friends either. They kept tabs on each other — all of Shepard’s former squadmates did — but from a cool distance.

Liara gave her a searching look, one which was far too knowing for Miranda’s tastes. “You aren’t re-thinking your offer of help, are you?”

“No, of course not. I’ll deal with with Jack. If one of our missings is a Grissom Academy student, she might be able to offer some valuable insight.”

“That was going to be my next suggestion. I’ll forward you all the information I have already. And please, if you need anything else, let me know.”

“Will do.” Miranda couldn’t help smiling. “Does accepting this mission mean I’m technically a Shadow Broker agent?”

Liara’s eyes widened. “That depends entirely on if you want to be.”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I was joking.”

“For now, we can classify you a freelance hire.”

 _“Liara?”_ The sound of another voice over the comm startled Miranda at first, but she quickly recognized it. Apparently, Shepard was somewhere in the background. _“Liara, I finished dinner! And I didn’t burn it this time.”_

Liara adopted a fond look while Miranda chuckled. “So, I assume you need to go?”

“Yes. Shepard has been trying her hand at Thessian cuisine. Some of her attempts have been… more successful than others.”

“Well, here’s to tonight’s meal being one of the successes.”

Liara heaved a sigh. “We can only hope. Goodbye, Miranda.”

“Goodbye. Give Shepard my love.”

“I will.”

The call ended, and Miranda took a moment to breathe. ‘ _Give Shepard my love?’ What a banal conversational convention. Who have I become? I hope I’m ready to go back in the field… and god help me if Jack thinks I’ve gone soft._

***

“Shield up, Garcia! Put some more oomph into it!”

The teenage boy running the obstacle course ducked, avoiding a blast from the mounted turret ahead. He wore armor in case he failed to block any rounds, and so far, his barriers hadn’t done much to impress Jack. She observed him with a frown, fingers clenched into fists.

Garcia threw up another barrier, but the rounds blew through it like tissue paper. It barely flickered to life before dissolving again and he ducked behind cover just in time to avoid another rattling set of rounds from the turret.

“Faster!” Jack hollered. “You think the enemy’ll give you time to prep? I said shield up!”

He tried again, and this time, his barrier held against the barrage. Quickly, he rushed forward, taking out the turret with a well-timed warp, and Jack beamed with pride. The repair techs would have a fun time putting _that_ mess back together tonight.

“That’s more like it,” she said as Garcia ran up the stairs toward her, panting but smiling behind his helmet visor. “Three minutes and thirty two seconds. Not bad. But you gotta get your shields up faster. No one’s gonna wait around while you have your thumb up your a— uh, butt.”

Garcia chuckled along with the small group of other students who had been watching the exercise. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Ma’am?”

A voice from behind her caused Jack to spin. For a moment, her heart rate spiked, and she had to suppress the instinct to surround herself with biotics. “Shit, Rodriguez. Didn’t hear you.”

Rodriguez grinned. She looked much the same as she had back when she’d been Jack’s student, but now she was a junior instructor at Grissom, helping mentor some of the beginners. “Sorry, Ma’am.”

Jack rolled her eyes. “Knock it off with the ‘ma’am’ shit, Rodriguez. What’s up?”

“Your one thirty appointment’s here.”

Garcia chuckled. “You her secretary or something?”

Jack gave him a piercing look. “She might only be a few years older than you, but that woman could flay you alive, so show some respect.”

A round of ‘ooohs’ from the other students followed, and Garcia looked suitably chastened. Yet Jack wasn’t really thinking about whether or not he’d learned his lesson. She knew who her one thirty was, which was probably the reason she’d been busting her students’ balls all day. Something about Miranda Lawson got under her skin, even though they’d eventually decided not to rip each other’s heads off.

_It’s ‘cause she’s an arrogant tight ass who thinks that just because she’s got fantastic tits, everyone should jump when she says so._

Thinking up new epithets to add to that description kept Jack busy all the way to her office. She’d run through ‘obnoxious,’ ‘frigid,’ and ‘stuck-up’ by the time she reached the door, but when she opened it, all of them fled. It had been nearly a year since she’d last seen Miranda in the flesh, which was time enough to forget just how striking the operative could be. Especially when she was standing there dressed in an ostensibly professional but definitely flattering white blouse and dark skirt, hand on her hip, a little ‘oomph’ in her stance…

_Fuck me sideways._

Fortunately, a derisive comment was always at hand to cover for Jack’s surprise. “You always wait for people looking like you’re posing for Fornax?”

Miranda rolled her eyes. “It’s nice to see you too, Jack. And don’t flatter yourself. I was just standing. Anything else is a product of your perverted imagination.”

In spite of her denials, she sounded flustered, which was only fair. As much as Jack didn’t want it to be the case, irritation wasn’t the only reaction Miranda could cause in her. For a long time, she’d denied the attraction, but she wasn’t exactly convincing.

Jack could still remember the teasing Shepard had subjected them to at that party on the Citadel, and the Girl Scout had a point. But just because Miranda had a great ass didn’t mean Jack wanted to deal with the stick up it. “Whatever you say, cheerleader. Liara told me you’re here looking for Chalmers.”

Miranda sounded relieved to be on less personal ground. “I am. What can you tell me about him?”

“He’s talented, but pretty full of himself. A whitebread kid from the ‘burbs who woke up one day with all this biotic power and he thought it made him invincible. I knocked him on his ass a few times, but I don’t think the message has gotten through his thick skull just yet.”

“So you’d describe him as reckless? Someone who might’ve been lured into a trap, for example? Before I came here, I visited the club on Elysium he was last seen in. Two patrons there told me that he was talking to a tall, purple skinned asari.”

“Some of my other kids mentioned that. Could be he was just trying to get laid.”

“Or that’s what it was supposed to look like.”

Jack gave a derisive snort. “Yeah, Chalmers would’ve fallen for that one. Kid did have a high opinion of himself.”

“Sounds like you don’t.”

“That’s not it.” Jack threw up her hands, trying to figure out how to give her feelings form. “I mean, yeah, he’s kind of a dumbass, but he’s a good kid. He’ll figure out how to handle this shit eventually. At least if he comes back in one piece.”

Miranda’s face displayed a rare softness. “Don’t worry, Jack. Nobody goes through the trouble of kidnapping biotics just to kill them. He’s out there somewhere, and I’ll find him.”

At once, Jack came to a decision. She crossed her arms over her chest and declared, “No. _We’ll_ find him.”

But Miranda only shook her head. “I don’t think so. Undercover work requires a certain amount of subtlety and you’re about as subtle as a warp blast to the side of the head.”

“You’re one to talk, cheerleader. Strutting around like that.”

Miranda’s blue eyes flashed lightning, although her face remained smooth and impassive as always, as if she didn’t want to give Jack the satisfaction of a visible reaction. However, Jack didn’t miss the slight twitching of her fingers on her hip, as though she wanted to clench them a little more tightly.

“‘Strutting’. That’s a loaded verb choice, isn’t it?”

“Accurate, though.” Jack pursed her lips and folded her arms, meeting Miranda’s stare with her own. “Anyway, what makes you think you’ll be _so_ much better at this than me?”

“Besides my years of experience as a covert operative?”

“Try being a fugitive,” Jack replied, without missing a beat. “Or an abused kid, for that matter. That’ll teach you how to lie pretty damn well.”

In that moment, Jack realized she’d overplayed her hand. She knew she’d been caught when Miranda’s brow knitted with something like concern — an emotion Jack took several beats to identify. She waited with her mouth open, unsure how to course-correct, until Miranda spoke.

“I understand your desire to help. It comes from a good place, but for now, can you do the most good by answering some more questions about your missing student. Any information you can provide might prove invaluable.”

Jack watched Miranda closely, waiting for some kind of trap, but part of her knew this wasn’t one. Miranda was being sincere rather than sarcastic, and as much as Jack hated the idea of being pitied because of her past, she had to agree with Miranda’s assessment: perhaps she did have some information that could help.

“I want Chalmers found. He’s one of mine, you know?”

Miranda dipped her head. “Of course. When was the last time you saw him?”

“Before the mid-year break, same as my other kids.”

“And how was his behavior then?”

“Normal,” Jack said. “I mean, normal for him. Like I said, he had a cocky streak.” She winced, realizing too late that she’d used the past tense. _Come on, don’t give up on him yet._

The corners of Miranda’s mouth quirked up. “Sounds like someone else I know.”

Since the comment was delivered softly and without any audible scorn, Jack chuckled in agreement. “There’s a difference between cocky and reckless. After the shit I’ve been through with Shepard, I think I deserve to be cocky. Honestly, we all do.”

A moment blossomed between them then, one of surprising connection. Despite their differences, they were bonded through the trauma of war, the adventures they’d shared, and their loyalty to Shepard.

“I would agree with that,” Miranda said at last. “What about his biotic abilities?”

“Compared to the general population? He’s a prodigy. Most of the students at Grissom are. Compared to the kids here? Middle of the pack. It can be…” She paused, considering her phrasing. “An adjustment.”

Jack had seen it play out many times before. Privileged kids who hadn’t been immersed in environments of terror and shame regarding their biotics came in thinking they were hot shit, only to discover they weren’t the only ones with the ability to crush a mech one-handed. Some of them took it harder than others, but Chalmers had still been in the overconfident phase when he disappeared.

“So, you think he might have wanted to prove himself?” Miranda asked.

“Him and everyone else here,” Jack said. “It’s part of Grissom’s culture.”

“I mean, do you think he was showing off.”

“What are you getting at?”

“Just trying to ascertain whether he came to someone’s attention on the spur of the moment, at one of his last known locations, or whether he was targeted in advance.”

Jack’s stomach dropped. _Targeted in advance._ If that was the case… “You think someone here might be involved? Or that someone might’ve hacked our records? Spied on us?”

Miranda studied her carefully.

“I don’t know. Cerberus had a lot of moles, and it’s possible that one of them is still embedded at Grissom Academy.”

“The fuck do you mean, ‘Cerberus?’” Jack’s spine stiffened and her eyes narrowed. The mention of the group that had stolen her childhood kindled fierce rage inside her, and Miranda took a step back in the face of it.

“I misspoke,” she said, choosing her words more carefully. “Cerberus died with the Illusive Man.”

Jack’s fists clenched so tight that her nails bit into the flesh. She scarcely noticed. “Then what the hell are you talking about?”

Miranda held up her hands defensively. “Liara believes that a former Cerberus operative named Evan Dane may be involved in the kidnappings. That’s all.”

“That’s all?!” The idea that Cerberus, or even its ex-members, was still out there, taking kids like her… Jack barely kept her biotics from leaping out and smashing her office to bits. “And just what is this Dane fucker is doing with the biotics?”

“I’m not sure,” Miranda admitted.

Sparks floated off Jack’s body, unable to be restrained any longer. “Whatever. If he’s connected to Cerberus, I’m _not_ letting him have my kid.”

Miranda shook her head. “Look, Jack. I know how much you hate Cerberus. I know how difficult it must be to imagine one of their former members holding a student of yours. But anger isn’t going to fix anything. This kind of mission is what I’m good at, so why don’t you answer my questions and let me take care of the rest?”

 _Because I don’t trust anyone else to get this right_.

Jack made a split-second decision. She’d play along. Give Miranda whatever information she could. But there was no way she was going to be left out of the investigation. Chalmers was her student, her responsibility, and Jack would be damned before she’d trust an ex-Cerberus flunky to bring him home.


	2. Chapter 2

The bass pounded straight into Jack’s veins as she stalked across the dance floor. All around her, men and women belonging to a multitude of species gyrated, flirted, and groped one another in the flickering light.

In spite of the naked lust on display, Starburst was actually less sleazy than most of the places Jack used to spend her nights. It wasn’t so much dangerous as what might look dangerous to a kid used to safety. Still, there plenty of ways to find trouble, and Jack knew the rules for avoiding it.

_ Keep your eyes forward. Mind your own business. Make it clear that anyone who sticks their nose into yours is going to get fucked up. _

Except that this time, minding her business wasn’t an option for Jack. Someone at the club might know what had happened to Chalmers, or at least could point her in the right direction. Whatever Miranda’s plan for getting him back might be, Jack’s was nice and simple: find the asari he’d last been seen with and squeeze her until she squealed.

It wasn’t hard to find her. Although her skin wasn’t the same stunning violet as Aria T’Loak’s, she stood out as she swayed on one of the room’s many platforms, arching against a pole and swiveling her pelvis in seductive figure-eights. It helped that she wore what amounted to a black leather bikini, shamelessly showing off her impressive figure.

Jack had long since become desensitized to such sights, but she had to admit the asari was attractive. Rather than approach the booth near her platform right away, Jack settled into another slightly further away, one without a pole in front of it. She took a moment to observe the routines of this place, and to come up with a plan.

It wasn’t easy. She was worried about Chalmers, and still angry at Miranda. Those emotions formed a potent cocktail, making it difficult for Jack to concentrate. Luckily, she’d learned to rein in her temper quite a bit in the past several years. Shepard’s influence, no doubt.

_ What would Shepard do, if this was her mission? _

At last, a plan came to her. Pressure had its place, but it might be wise to try a bit of honey before turning to the vinegar. Jack put on her cockiest smirk, stood, and stuck her thumbs through her belt loops, strutting over to the platform where the purple-skinned asari continued to dance.

The asari noted her approach, just as Jack had intended. They locked eyes, and Jack made a point of sitting right in front of the pole, for the best possible view. She also started their interaction off the right way, giving the dancer a generous tip on the built-in console.

“Thanks, babe,” the asari said. The music shifted, become slower and deeper, and she altered her flowing motions until they looked pretty much indistinguishable from grinding against the empty air.

“Gotta appreciate the talent,” Jack said, with her best disarming grin. She rested both arms against the back of her seat, splaying her legs wide. “Don’t suppose you’d let me buy you a drink, too?”

The asari gave a convincing pout. “Sorry. Management really squeezes our crests about that. Plus some assholes think if they buy us drinks, they’re really buying something else.”

Jack rolled her eyes. “Fuck those guys. I worked on Omega for a while tending bar…”

“So you get it.” The asari turned, giving Jack an excellent view of her rear. “If you worked Omega, why come to a watered-down place like this?”

Jack chuckled. “A friend of mine. He’s basically just a kid, but he raved about this place.”

The asari looked back over her shoulder. “Ah.” She obviously knew the type. “And what do  _ you _ think?”

Jack leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. “I think you’re the most interesting thing in here.”

“If you’re trying to sweet talk me into a private show, management doesn’t like those either.” The asari leaned forward, allowing Jack to stare down her ample cleavage. “But for a charming one like you, I might risk getting written up.”

Though that was probably just a line dancers gave to increase their tips, Jack decided to play along. She flashed her cockiest grin. “Trust me, it’ll be worth it.”

The asari ran her tongue along her upper lip, making a show of weighing the pros and cons. “Oh, I just bet you will.” She nodded her head in the direction of a door near the back of the club. “Over there. But be discreet.”

Jack waited until the asari had taken a few steps away from the table before following. It was easy enough to hide what she was doing amidst the press of the crowd, and soon enough, she passed through the door and into a small, private room. It was organized around another table with a pole on it, flanked by a couple of couches, with a second door that led deeper into the guts of the club along the back wall.

_ We’re not supposed to do private shows, my ass. _

The asari walked over to a small bar on one side of the room and poured a slug out of a bottle of some red-ish liquor Jack couldn’t translate the label on. She handed the glass to Jack and motioned towards the couch. “Get comfortable, babe. We’re going to have a real good time.”

Jack didn’t sit down, but she did take the drink. It was sweet and spicy at the same time and burned as it went down her throat.  _ Not bad _ . “I’m sure we will,” she said when the glass was empty, “But I did have a couple of questions I needed to ask you first.”

The asari cocked her head, seeming a bit confused. “There’s still no touching, if that’s what you’re wondering. At least not by you.”

“Not exactly my question.” Jack set the glass down on the bar and took a step toward the asari. “You remember my friend, the one who recommended this place to me? I need a little information about him.”

A look of innocence appeared on the asari’s face, but it was a little too wide-eyed to be convincing. “You’ll have to be more specific. I meet a lot of people in this job.”

Jack took another step forward. “Human guy. Young. Taller than me, shorter than you. Sandy blonde hair, kinda cute in a pampered sort of way. Probably threw around a lot of credits trying to impress you.”

“We get a lot of kids like that in here.”

“Yeah, but I think you remember this one. For one thing, he went missing just after he talked to you, and for another, he was a badass biotic. Kind of like me.”

A corona of blue light flared up around Jack as she closed the last of the distance between them, getting close enough that she could see every twitch on the asari’s lying face when she said, “I don’t know anything about that, and I really think you should sit down.”

Jack was about to disagree violently when the dizziness hit her. It felt as if her head had been stuck in a washing machine and put through the spin cycle. All around her, the room swirled, forcing her to stagger backwards as she fought the urge to vomit.

When she was finally able to look up, the asari’s expression had completely changed. Gone was the confused dancer, replaced with a lean predator who glared down contemptuously at her. “Did you really think you could just stroll in here and we wouldn’t know who you were,  _ Jack _ ?”

***

“Good news,” Miranda said as Liara’s hologram appeared above the shuttle’s dashboard. “I’m five minutes out from a possible location for Dane.”

Liara’s blue eyes widened. “Already?”

Miranda allowed herself a small, self-congratulatory smirk. “Checking with my old Cerberus contacts didn’t lead anywhere, but following up on the, erm, shall we say less savory ‘Help Wanted’ ads posted recently proved more productive.”

“Really? Evan Dane simply advertised for help?”

“How could he not? Cerberus’s military forces are all but gone. Dane organizes research projects; he needs someone with combat skills to actually kidnap these biotics for him. I’ve learned that a small mercenary squad working near Elysium has been getting a fat paycheck that traces back to an old Cerberus shell corporation. Not only that but one of their members matches the description of an asari seen with Jack’s student.”

That put a furrow in Liara’s brow. “Are you implying he’s hired an  _ asari _ mercenary group to help him?”

“Apparently.”

“Why not use humans? Wasn’t Cerberus’s purported mission to advance humanity’s interests?”

“Any whiff of Cerberus is treated like poison by most humans, even the more unscrupulous types. They all know Commander Shepard and her friends are the designated cleanup crew.”

“Did I hear my name?” a sing-song voice called, just before Shepard stepped into the hologram beside Liara. “Hey, Miranda. What’s this about a cleanup crew?”

“Nothing you need concern yourself with,” Miranda continued. “Liara and I are looking for an ex-Cerberus agent that might have slipped through the cracks, but I’m about to pay him a visit right now.”

Shepard grinned. “Of course you are. But do I sense some  _ annoyance _ in your tone? Some lingering irritation?”

Miranda rolled her eyes. “You told her I was going to see Jack, didn’t you?” she said, shooting an accusatory glare at Liara.

Liara had the decency to look sheepish. “I might have.”

“All these years, Shepard, and you still haven’t learned to keep your nose out of other people’s business.”

“And where has  _ your _ nose been recently?” Shepard drawled. “I remember you getting quite cozy with Jack at that party before the end of the war.”

“I wouldn’t describe us as cozy,” Miranda protested, doing her best not to show that the comment had affected her. “Our relationship has defrosted somewhat since the SR-2 days, but we still grate on each other. And there is  _ certainly _ no sexual element to it.”

“Maybe for now,” Shepard chuckled.

“I hope she was at least polite when you paid her a visit,” Liara added.

Miranda pressed her lips together. “She was, relatively speaking… until I mentioned a Cerberus loose end might be involved. Then she got cranky.”

“Cranky?” Shepard snorted. “Why do I feel like that’s a massive understatement?”

Miranda busied herself checking the data on her dashboard. “I need to end this call soon. I’m approaching the location.”

“Be careful,” Shepard said in a much more serious tone.

Miranda offered her a smile. “I always am.”

“Please check in with me as soon as you have more information,” Liara said. “And if you need any of my resources post-reconnaissance, I’m more than happy to assist.”

“I’ll certainly do that.”

Miranda closed the connection before guiding the shuttle down to a nearby landing pad. There were only a handful of other ships and sky cars nearby, and most looked as if they’d been abandoned. Once, this had been a bustling commercial district, but like so many places, it hadn’t bounced back since the war.

_ Nothing like an attempted genocide to bring down property values. _

Walking through the dirty streets, Miranda didn’t see many other people, and none of those few approached her. Perhaps they were deterred by her icy expression. Without meaning to, she’d slipped back into what Jack had once called her “Cerberus bitch face.” Another time, she could worry about how easy she found that to do; now she had larger concerns.

The address she’d found in that disreputable corner of the extranet led Miranda to what used to be a pricey asari restaurant, but now had its windows boarded up and its door reinforced with metal plates.

Careful not to expose herself to anyone who might be watching from inside, she scanned the area for a place to set up shop. There wasn’t much, other than a nearby rooftop two stories high, above what seemed to be a low-traffic retail establishment. It was far from ideal, but it would have to do.

She’d circled around back, scaled the building, and positioned herself when she first saw movement behind the restaurant. Two asari exited a sturdily built skycar with score-marks on one side, and even from a distance, Miranda could tell they looked a lot like their vehicle. Although they didn’t carry weapons openly, they were definitely mercenaries.

_ And asari don’t always need guns. One well-placed warp can kill a human in full armor… or subdue a student, even one with biotic abilities. _

She watched as the asari checked their surroundings and then entered the building after scanning some kind of pad with their omnitools. Miranda frowned. A security system would make things more difficult. She would watch a little longer, but then she had a decision to make: break in, or bluff.

The former seemed to be a bad idea. It meant any asari who came across her would attack immediately, and there were probably enough of them to make that a dicey proposition. But bluffing had its own risks. While not as famous as some of Shepard’s other crew members, Miranda’s association with the galaxy’s savior was widely-known. Her connection to Evan Dane might give her an in, but if he wasn’t there, or decided not to trust her, her welcome could turn chilly fast.

Before Miranda could consider the issue any further, the asari she’d seen earlier exited the building again, this time with two more mercenaries in tow. They went around to the back of the skycar and opened it up, removing something — no, someone — from within.

There was no mistaking those tattoos. Somehow, they’d gotten Jack.  _ Not in a fair fight, I’ll wager. _ Jack was more than a match for most mercenaries all on her own, but now two of the asari were carrying her, which meant she couldn’t walk under her own power.   _ Probably drugged. _  They carried her inside, and Miranda’s stomach sank as she disappeared from view.

_ Well, _ Miranda thought, desperately trying to get ahold of herself even while her pulse raced a mile a minute, _ it looks like I can’t afford to wait any longer. _

***

_ Shit. What a fucking headache. Where’s that light coming from? _

Jack tried to bring a hand up to cover her eyes, but her arm wouldn’t respond. She attempted to roll over, away from the annoying spikes of white that pierced her eyelids, but that wasn’t possible either. She tried to curse her situation, but cotton filled her mouth.

_ A gag? Oh fuck. _

It all came rushing back. The club. The purple-skinned asari. Being drugged and knocked out after a pathetic, staggering fight.

This time, Jack managed to open her eyes. She was in some kind of storage room. There were boxes all around her rather than weird science equipment, so that was a plus, but otherwise, the situation was awful. Her arms and legs were bound, and there was something hard and cold around her neck.

_ A biotic suppressor. _ Jack was intimately familiar with those, and the feel of it touching her skin enraged her. She gritted her teeth, preparing to let loose a truly epic amount of power…

Only she didn’t. Long-buried instincts kicked in, the instincts of a frightened child who had learned to anticipate pain long before it hit. She knew what would happen if she used her biotics. She knew exactly how much it would hurt — maybe enough to make her black out again, if she was lucky. Better to stay awake and try to figure a way out of this mess.

She didn’t get a chance to process her feelings or come up with a plan before the door opened, revealing the same purple-skinned asari who had drugged her. She wore a light, practical suit of armor rather than her black leather bikini ensemble, and no helmet, letting Jack see the insufferable smirk on her face.

“Ah. You’re awake. I gave you enough to knock a thresher maw on its ass, so I have to say, I’m surprised you came around so quickly.”

Jack tried to respond, but was immediately reminded of the gag in her mouth. Her angry protests were muffled, which seemed to amuse her captor quite a bit.

“What’s that? I couldn’t quite understand you.”

Jack thrashed, but the bindings wouldn’t give and she nearly bit through the fabric in her anger. 

The asari laughed. “Don’t worry, you won’t be with us for long. There’s a human in this quadrant paying major credits for biotics… and I’m sure once we get in touch, he’ll pay quadruple for one of the famous Subject Zero.”

This time, it wasn’t anger, but a shudder of pure fear that ran down Jack’s spine. This couldn’t be happening. As hard as she’d run, as far as she thought she’d come, Cerberus had her again.


	3. Chapter 3

Miranda rapped twice on the heavy door. The sound echoed across the empty street before a voice from inside called out, “Who’s there?”

She took a deep breath.  _ Time to find out how much weight my name carries with the remnants of Cerberus these days. _ “Miranda Lawson. I’m here for Evan Dane.”

A muffled, unintelligible back and forth came from the other side of the door, and then it opened, revealing a muscular asari in black body armor. She held an assault rifle, which she was pointing directly at Miranda’s head.  _ So much for the mercs not having guns. _

“Inside,” the asari said.

Miranda stepped carefully past the threshold.

The interior of the restaurant was not as derelict as the outside. Weapons and other supplies were stacked around what used to be the dining room, and several couches had been dragged into its center, forming an improvised lounge. Three more asari reclined on them, and one stood to greet Miranda, who noted her impressive height and purple skin.

_ Probably the last person Chalmers was seen with. _

A muffled noise caught Miranda’s attention. When her eyes fell upon the source, she had to work hard to keep her expression blank. Tied up and gagged in one corner of the room, with what appeared to be a biotic suppression collar fastened around her neck, was Jack.

Even though she’d known her old crewmate was a prisoner, seeing her that way up close was disturbing, but fortunately, Miranda had lots of practice hiding her true feelings. The asari watched her closely, suspicion written on their faces, weapons close at hand. The pistol at Miranda’s side did very little to make her feel safe.

“Quite a coincidence,” the purple skinned asari said. “Two former  _ Normandy _ crew members showing up on the same day.”

With no other viable options, Miranda did what she did best: lied through her teeth. “It’s hardly a coincidence,” she said with artificial smoothness. “Who do you think pointed this idiot in your direction? I’m glad you seem to have handled her.”

On the ground, Jack grunted with anger, thrashing against the ropes around her wrists and ankles. Miranda knew she would have to offer a serious apology later, even if she did end up saving Jack’s sorry hide.

“Why you would you do that?” another asari asked, this one a sleek creature with hunter’s eyes. There was a bruise above one of them, and Miranda wondered if Jack was its cause.

“Do you know what an obnoxious piece of garbage this woman is?” Miranda jerked her head in Jack’s direction. “You did gag her, so I’m guessing you have some idea.”

That got a laugh from several of the asari. “The gag was preemptive,” another merc said, a light blue asari with a round face that might have been cute if she hadn’t been brandishing a submachine gun. “We figured anyone with that many bad tattoos has to be a pain in the ass.”

“You have no idea. And unlike you, I’ve been putting up with her abuse for years. Did you know she once tried to get Shepard to space me?” Miranda suspected Jack hadn’t been entirely serious about that, but some small, unworthy part of her was enjoying the opportunity to vent her accumulated frustrations.

The asari looked at Miranda in disbelief. “So, the Milky Way’s most famous crew was really that dysfunctional?” their purple-skinned leader asked, clearly amused.

“You don’t know the half of it. Let’s see, there were the insubordinate names she called me, the time she ruined my very expensive office furniture during a tantrum and threatened to ‘smear the walls’ with me…” Miranda ticked off each offense on her fingers. “Did you know she dragged Shepard away from several far more urgent priorities to blow up an abandoned Cerberus base because of her unresolved childhood trauma?” Her eyes almost drifted toward Jack when she revealed that piece of information, itching to apologize, but she stopped herself in time.

“Hmph.” The lean hunter scoffed with disdain. “I would’ve warped her into oblivion. Didn’t think you could take her, huh?”

There were a few jeers from the mercs, and Miranda made a show of tossing her hair. “Hardly. Her biotics may be powerful, but she’s as impulsive as they come. It would have been easy to end her, but I had my  orders and there were more important things to worry about back then.”

“Reapers,” the baby-faced merc muttered, a shadow behind her eyes. Her fear spread to the others’ faces. Miranda supposed even these bloodthirsty killers had to be afraid of something. She couldn’t blame them. Years later, she still woke up from nightmares of blinding red lights and loud, metallic buzzing.

The purple asari cleared her throat. “You pushed her in our direction for revenge, then?”

Miranda shrugged. “My sources mentioned a former colleague of mine was seeking humans with biotic abilities in this quadrant, and Jack despises Cerberus. All I had to do was mention their involvement, and she went charging off like the idiot she is. And then fell prey to you, apparently.”

“So why are you here? To make sure she’s dead?”

“To track down that same colleague,” Miranda said. “Evan Dane. Your current financier, I believe. Given our history, I was hoping we might be able to work together again. The Reapers are gone, so there’s no need for me to ally with Shepard anymore.”

Miranda found it surprisingly difficult to speak Shepard’s name with any sort of bile, but apparently she was convincing — to everyone except the leader.

“No loyalty to your old captain?”

“Who do you think ordered me to work with  _ that _ ?” Miranda cast another caustic look in Jack’s direction, even as her heart ached with sympathy. “I don’t know how tolerant you are, but for me, some things are simply unforgivable.”

“Unforgivable?” A twisted smirk curled across the purple-skinned asari’s face. “Seems to me we might be able to make a deal, Ms. Lawson.”

“What kind of deal?”

“Toss us a few credits, we’ll put you in touch with our… how did you put it? Financier.”

“How many credits?” Miranda asked.

“Not much. Five million.”

Miranda balked. “Five million? I could track him down with my own resources for half that much. I just dropped by because I thought this way would be slightly faster.” She made to turn away, praying she’d read the greed shining in the merc’s eyes correctly. Jack’s life might depend on it.

“… and we’ll throw in fifteen minutes with the tattooed freak.”

Miranda turned, swallowing. “What was that?”

“You want revenge, right?” the purple-skinned asari purred, while her companions looked on eagerly. “You just gave us a laundry list of all the ways she’s wronged you.”

Miranda hesitated. This hadn’t been part of the plan at all. She’d hoped to sneak closer to Jack during the negotiations and wait for the right opportunity, but…  _ I can’t take this offer seriously. What awful things would these mercs expect me to do? But if I don’t accept, they’ll see right through me. _

“A tempting offer,” she said, adopting an air of aristocratic attachment, “But five is still too high. Four million.”

The purple asari grinned. “Knew that’d get your attention. Let’s split the difference and say four and a half.”

“Deal. I’ll pay half up front, and the rest once you take me to Evan.”

“Fair enough.” The purple skinned asari opened up her omni-tool and Miranda did the same. A few commands entered into her extra-net banking application later and Miranda was 2.25 million credits poorer.  _ It’s a good thing the Illusive Man paid me well enough to cover for Jack’s idiocy _ , she reflected.

“A pleasure doing business with you, Miss Lawson,” the asari said, smiling the smile of someone who now had far too much of Miranda’s money. “I’m Lyra, by the way.”

“A pleasure as well, Lyra.”

“I suspect this next part will be even more fun.” She nodded in the direction of the round-faced asari. “Milli, bring our guest her old friend.”

Milli yanked Jack to her feet and shoved the struggling biotic in Miranda’s direction. “So, what do you want to do with the freak?”

Miranda looked to Lyra. “I’m considering my options. Any ground rules?”

“Don’t break anything that can’t be fixed. Dane doesn’t pay us for anyone in more than one piece.”

That definitely hadn’t been Miranda’s plan, but now she had to decide what was. As angry as she was with Jack for putting them in this situation, she wasn’t really going to hurt her. And yet, feeding her cookies and milk wasn’t an option, either. That only left her with one route and though it wouldn’t be pleasant, it might get them out of this mess in one piece.

Donning a suitable sneer, she shoved Jack back to her knees, curling a lip as though she was looking at something dredged from the bottom of a Sur’Kesh swamp. “I imagine you never thought you’d find yourself on your knees in front of me. You really believed that you could spend your days making my life miserable, and there wouldn’t be a price to pay.”

Miranda saw the strain in Jack’s muscles as she struggled against her bonds. Her fury was obvious, though it was harder to say if it was directed at Miranda, the asari who’d captured her, or was simply incoherent rage. Unfortunately, while that was an understandable reaction, it didn’t do them any good. Miranda needed to get Jack to play along. She had to hope Jack trusted her enough to know that whatever their differences, she wouldn’t actually leave her to these mercenaries and their master. 

_ And hope that if we do survive, she doesn’t kill me for what I’m about to say next. _

“Do you know why I think you acted like such an arse toward me?” she asked. “Some of it is simply that you’re a half-feral child with all the manners of a drunken krogan, but that’s not the whole story.”  

Miranda paused, running a finger down one of Jack’s tight, twitching arms before finishing her thought. The mercenaries had left her in the white crop-top she wore under her usual black leather jacket, and Miranda tried not to enjoy tracing Jack’s bare skin.

“It’s because in your own, pathetic little way, you wanted me. Of course, you couldn’t admit that you had those feeling about a ‘Cerberus bitch’, so instead, you acted like you hated me. But really, the one you hated was yourself.”

If looks could kill, Miranda would’ve been done for. Fortunately, the suppression collar around Jack’s neck forced her to settle for a gaze that burned with merely metaphorical fire. Miranda knew she was cutting deep, but she had little choice. The most convincing lies always contained a bit of truth, and besides, this was the best way to sell the next part of her “revenge” to the mercenaries.

“No denials?” Miranda placed a heavy hand on top of Jack’s head, trying not to notice how soft the long strands above her undercut were. She prowled in a circle, pulling Jack’s head part-way along. “I’m surprised. You usually don’t let anything stop that foul mouth of yours, not even a gag.”

Jack made a low spitting noise around the fabric, then winced in pain. Miranda wasn’t sure if Jack had actually tried to use her biotics, or simply experienced a memory pain response, but she didn’t want it to get worse — and it undoubtedly would.  _ Maybe I’m pushing her buttons a little too well. I have to let her know what I’m doing, in a way the asari won’t notice... _

Inspiration struck. Miranda seized Jack’s face in one hand, pinching her cheeks and forcing her lips into a crude pucker around the gag. Jack’s eyes went wide, and behind the anger, Miranda saw fear — raw, naked fear. Her heart stuttered, but she collected herself and began tapping the side of Jack’s cheek with her thumb.

_ Dot, dash. Dot dot dot. _

Jack’s eyes remained wild and glazed, so Miranda did it again.

Five taps. Short, long. Short short short.

_ AS. _

_ Wait. _

***

Fear clogged Jack’s throat. She drew wheezing breaths through her nose, but they didn’t do anything to soothe the burn in her lungs. She couldn’t take in enough air to keep up with her pounding heart, and a sudden rush of adrenaline had her quaking with terror and rage. Which was stronger, she couldn’t say. They blurred together, much like her vision as Miranda’s face swam above her.

_ Fuck. Fucking shit shit-fuck. _

Her arms bunched as she wrestled with the bindings on her wrists, but it was no use. The rope had no give. Neither did the collar that hung heavy at the base of her neck, forcing her to be aware of it every single fucking second. Although she hadn’t released any biotic energy — partially out of a conditioned fear response, and partially because she knew it would be useless — she sometimes thought she could feel white-hot needles of electricity stabbing through her neck.

_ Shit. Fuck. Miranda. What the fuck? _

Jack’s eyes darted wildly around the room. The four asari mercs were watching with unconcealed interest. Her stomach churned, and her entire body burned with humiliation. Fuck. She’d  _ promised _ herself she’d never end up in a position like this again. On her knees, unable to use her biotics. At the mercy of people who wanted to kill her. Shepard had almost fooled her into thinking she’d reached a point in her life where she was safe… 

Miranda jerked her head to one side, causing a painful crick in the back of Jack’s neck. Her muscles protested, but she had no choice but to follow the motion. Miranda seized her face in a surprisingly soft, warm hand and squeezed, forcing drool out around the edges of the gag…

The pad of Miranda’s thumb brushed her cheek, almost tenderly.

No, not brushed. Tapped.

Thanks to the chaotic storm of emotions within her, Jack didn’t realize it at first. It was only when Miranda did the same thing again, deliberately, that she put it together.

_ Morse code? _

The Alliance had gotten her up to speed with a brief, condensed military education before putting her to work at Grissom, and though she hadn’t taken the classes too seriously — why the fuck did she need to know about regulations and procedures with all the real-world experience she had in combat? — she’d picked up a thing or two. She remembered.

_ Wait. _

Miranda was telling her to wait.

The churning ocean of Jack’s brain settled, just a little. Her heart slowed. She was still terrified, but the sucking pit in her stomach didn’t pull quite so painfully. She should’ve realized it before — realized that, despite their disagreements, Miranda was on her team. Shepard’s team. No way was she going to let Jack die like this. She had to be biding her time, planning their escape.

_ What if she isn’t? _ a toxic voice whispered in the back of Jack’s mind.  _ Remember what she said? She hates you. She doesn’t give a fuck whether you live or die. No one does. _

Jack closed her eyes.  _ No. Miranda doesn’t hate me. She’s on my side. She’s my… friend. _

“Look at me.”

Unthinkingly, Jack obeyed. She opened her eyes, gazing up into Miranda’s face. There wasn’t an ounce of pity there. Her blood went cold and her jaw trembled, but through her fear, she managed to give Miranda a long, slow blink.  _ Do what you have to do. I can take it. Just get me the fuck out of here, cheerleader. _ She prayed Miranda could read minds — there were certainly times on the  _ Normandy _ when it had seemed like it.

“I’m going to give you a taste of exactly what you want,” Miranda drawled. She raked her fingers down Jack’s pulsing throat, leaving stinging red lines behind until she arrived at her exposed sternum. Miranda plucked the taut neckline of her cropped white shirt, pulling it away from her body before letting it snap back in place. “But I doubt you’re going to like it.” To make her meaning perfectly clear, she cupped one of Jack’s breasts in her hand, squeezing through the flimsy material.

Two conflicting emotions surged through Jack at once. First, relief. Miranda wasn’t going to hurt her. At least, not much. There probably wouldn’t be a beating. Likely no broken bones, shocks, or burns. Then, disgust.  _ Fuck. _ She’d been through this before. Had people violate her with sickening lust in their eyes. Miranda didn’t have that look, though. Instead, her face was blank. 

Jack couldn’t decide if that was better or worse.  _ It’s an act, _ she reminded herself.  _ You can debate whose fault it is and whether it was rape later. Besides, you’ve been through worse. You know how to turn it off. You can survive. _

She wasn’t the same person she’d been just a few years ago, courting death every day, but staying alive through spite and a healthy dose of random luck. She wanted to live and if that meant letting Miranda cop a feel for these pervy mercs, then whatever. She’d spit on their corpses later, when Miranda got her out of this fucking collar.

_ And she  _ will _ get you out of the collar. She will. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is where the heavy dub-con kicks in, in case you don't want to read that part. If you do, well, we'll try not make you wait too long.


	4. Chapter 4

“Of course, I might be wrong about your not liking it…” The intensity in Miranda’s stare made Jack shiver, but she couldn’t respond, or run, or do anything but kneel as Miranda continued. “Maybe you secretly crave having someone put you in your place.”

Even the gag couldn’t entirely suppress Jack’s growl of rage, but the noise only made the mercs laugh. “Sounds like that hit pretty close to home,” Lyra said. “You may be onto something.”

“Possibly. But there’s only one way to be sure.” Miranda reached behind Jack’s head and undid the gag. When she pulled the cloth out, Jack sucked in a sharp breath. The air should’ve provided some relief, but when Miranda traced a finger along her scalp, Jack’s heart rate spiked again.

“What do you say to that, Subject Zero?” Miranda asked, sounding like a cat toying with a particularly entertaining mouse. “Do you like being reminded what a worthless waste of biotic talent you are?”

“You fucking bitch!” Jack spat, but she hadn’t even finished the last word before Miranda’s hand cracked against her cheek. The blow stung, but it didn’t really hurt, and Jack snorted. “That the best you’ve got, cheerleader? I’ve been hit harder for foreplay.”

Miranda smirked. “Is that what this is to you? Foreplay?”

She put her hand back on Jack’s breast, and this time she lingered there, brushing across it almost tenderly until she reached her nipple. It was already stiff —  _ not my fault, _ Jack thought,  _ it’s cold  _ — and Miranda’s smile broadened.

“It seems it is.”

“The fuck do you want from me?” Jack demanded, but she couldn’t put the venom she wanted into the words. There was a weakness in her limbs, and she wished it was only anger making her shake. Miranda was right, damn her all to hell. As fucked up as this was, it was still having an effect on Jack, one that frightened her.

“For you to admit the truth.” Miranda rolled Jack’s clothed nipple between her fingers, and Jack had to bite her lip to stifle what would’ve been a humiliating noise. “Although I doubt a subliterate like you will find the right words. So you’re going to show me instead.”

“If you think…”

Instead of waiting for the end of that sentence, Miranda grabbed the back of Jack’s head. “I think you’re going to please me. You’re going to do it because it’s what you’ve always wanted. And because I know all of your dirty little secrets. Everything you hate, everything you fear, and if you don’t comply, I’m going to help Evan use them to break you.”

The ball of rage at Jack’s core screamed at her to fight back, to not submit to Miranda, no matter the cost. She tried her best to silence it. The collar hung heavy around her neck, a constant reminder of her helplessness. Her only hope was that this was part of Miranda’s plan.  _ She told you to wait. Just play along. _

It wasn’t easy. Jack felt the eyes of the mercenaries on her, and heard their mocking laughs. She might’ve harbored a few fantasies about the cheerleader, but they definitely didn’t involve these assholes.

“Go on,” Miranda snapped. “This can’t be the first time a tramp like you has performed in front of a crowd.”

Miranda did have point there. This wasn’t the most fucked up thing Jack had done, or the most people she’d done it in front of. And yet, somehow, that made it even more complicated. When Miranda unfastened her pants and pushed them and her black silk panties down past her hips, Jack actually  _ liked _ the sight.The creamy expanse of Miranda’s inner thighs was deliciously inviting, no matter how much Jack wished otherwise.

Reluctantly, Jack pressed her closed lips against a relatively safe patch of pale skin, hating herself for the thrill even that lackluster contact produced. “That’s a start,” Miranda hissed, and Jack could’ve sworn the hunger in her voice was authentic.

Behind her, the asari hooted with delight, but Jack tried to block them out.  _ Just do it and try not to think.  _ Jack slid her tongue along the operative’s leg, and Miranda responded by spreading herself further. 

There was no mistaking the wetness on her folds. Some primitive part of Jack took a perverse delight in knowing she was its cause, but another wondered.  _ What if she’s turned on by humiliating me? What if this, the signal she sent, all of it, is just part of her sick game? _

The fear must have slowed Jack down, because the next thing she knew, Miranda’s hand was on the back of her head, shoving her forward. Her nose and mouth were smushed against warm, slick lips topped by neatly trimmed curls. They tickled her nose — she could smell Miranda’s ardor there, and the scent was almost… nice?

Jack’s mouth watered, but she kept her lips closed.  _ Maybe we can fake this, _ she thought. Rather than lick, she settled for ‘nuzzling’, although there wasn’t anything particularly affectionate about the gesture. Her eyes kept darting off to one side, watching the mercs’ reactions. They jeered, seemingly entertained by the show. Jack wished she didn’t have to keep looking at them, but they were armed, and she was vulnerable.

Miranda tugged her hair —  _ goddamn it, why did I grow it out? This is literally one of the reasons I chopped it off in the first place  _ — a gesture that looked far more violent than it felt. “Lick,” she ordered, canting her hips forward. The mercs muttered and chuckled amongst themselves, clearly pleased by that development.

Jack swallowed her rage. Either she trusted Miranda, or she didn’t. And after all they’d been through, fighting at Shepard’s side, well… She extended her tongue, swiping it between Miranda’s lips.

The taste wasn’t bad. Maybe good, even. Salty, but kind of proper — not as thick as some of her previous partners. Without thinking about it, Jack murmured her approval, but her stomach lurched when the asari surrounding them laughed. “Guess you were right,” their leader said. “The crazy slut really does want it.”

Miranda gave a panting laugh. “She’s not bad either... with some direction, of course.” She cupped the back of Jack’s head, as though to guide her, and it took an effort of will for Jack not to pull away. She felt helpless, floundering, even though she’d made the decision to do this for both their sakes. She needed something,  _ anything _ she could control.

_ Well, there is one thing… Oh, fuck it. _

She breathed in through her nose and buried her tongue deeper, swirling it over and around Miranda’s entrance, and was rewarded with a surprised, almost pleased gasp.

***

Miranda’s hips jerked, an instinctive movement not of her own will. She’d been trying to find an angle to to disable Jack’s suppression collar without the asari noticing, but that thought flickered dangerously in her mind, threatening to go out like a candle. Jack was actually licking her… and doing it well.

_ Oh…  _ For a moment, that ‘oh’ was the only word in Miranda’s mind. She blinked rapidly, trying to regain her focus. They were surrounded by armed mercenaries, pretending to put on a show while trying to plot an escape. Now was absolutely  _ not _ the time to be enjoying herself.

But she couldn’t help it. Something had shifted between them, or at least within Jack, because the captive biotic had started exploring in earnest. Jack’s nose nudged her clit, sending a small shockwave through Miranda’s belly, and the tongue at her opening spread out to cover more sensitive flesh.

_ Don’t enjoy it, _ Miranda ordered herself.  _ Keep putting on the show, and figure out how to reach your omni-tool without being obvious. _ The show part, at least, was simple. She moaned, a decadent sound that embarrassed her because it wasn’t  _ that _ fake after all. 

“Well, now. She’s graduated from ‘not bad’ to ‘somewhat decent’. Maybe I’ll let the rest of you have a turn with her once I’m finished.”

“Nice of you to offer,” Milli said. “I dunno, though. Humans never really did it for me.”

“Don’t be so close-minded,” Lyra chided her. “The right human can be a treat.”

There was more banter, but Miranda didn’t really hear it. Jack’s tongue had found her clit, and the jolt of pleasure that ran through her made everything else fade. She didn’t want it to feel so good. Not under these conditions, and especially not when she had to focus on getting them out alive, but it didn’t matter what she wanted. There was no way to communicate her reluctance to Jack, and no way to hold back the feelings. Not when Jack’s tongue was working her so skillfully. 

On the next pass, Miranda groaned, unable to stop her hips from betraying her. She was grinding against Jack’s face, the pressure within her building toward a release she hated herself for craving. Jack hummed against her clit, and the vibrations made Miranda’s knees buckle. She realized there was no point in trying to hold back any longer. If this was going to happen, it was better to get it over with.

_ Or maybe that’s just what you’re telling yourself. Maybe you don’t want to stop. _

Miranda’s eyes squeezed shut, as she tried to focus on the pleasure. It was too damn easy. In seconds, she forgot about the mercs, about where they were doing this and why, and let the raw fact of Jack’s mouth be the only thing she knew.

When Jack drew in her in deeper and sucked, a bolt of lightning shot straight up Miranda’s spine. She clutched desperately at Jack’s head, trying to keep herself upright, but it was no use. Miranda’s legs wobbled, and — fearing she might collapse — she sank to her knees, pushing Jack flat on her back and straddling her face.

Miranda’s cheeks burned with humiliation at the force of her climax, but that did nothing to make it stop. She shook helplessly in its grip, humping Jack’s chin as she smeared it with her release.

The asari whooped at the sight, and their derision brought Miranda back to reality. Aftershocks continued coursing through her, but she could at least think about what was coming next. Now that she was finished, the mercs would want a turn of their own, and despite how far Miranda had already let this go, that was too much.

_ But how can I stop it? _

She was halfway considering a doomed attempt to get the drop on the asari when it hit her. Her collapse might have been embarrassing, but it had also put her in an ideal position. Her hand was still wrapped around Jack’s head, only now her thighs shielded it from view.  Shaking off the last wisps of her pleasure, she felt around for suppression collar’s data port.

While she did, she turned her gaze to the mercs, trying to keep their attention on her face rather than her hands. “Better than I expected,” she said with an attempt at derision that she feared wasn’t convincing.

Lyra laughed. “So I see. Guess she has a lot of experience on her knees.”

Miranda kept her face blank, but a flicker of hope kindled within her as she located the data port. When she activated her omni-tool, though, she let out a satisfied sigh. She’d booted it up in stealth mode, blanking the usual glow, but she still had to cover for the tell-tale hum.

Milli set down her submachine gun. “Well, I was going to take a pass, but after seeing how much fun you had, maybe it’s time to give humans a try.”

Miranda’s heart pounded against her ribs. Her cracking program was top of the line, but it wasn’t instantaneous. “What about the rest of you?” she asked in a desperate effort to stall. “I’m sure the slut can handle more than one at a time, at least if you’re willing to share.”

“It is a tempting offer,” the black-armored asari who’d first let her in said. “What about you, Lyra? I mean, you’re the one who captured her.”

“Maybe. I was actually wondering if Miranda might be interested. She seems like the sort who…”

Her voice stopped mid-sentence, silenced by a single, metallic click. For an instant, the whole room froze, trying to process what it meant. And then, abruptly, they found out. Miranda was blown backwards by a surge of brilliant blue light, and she crashed into the nearby couch, which thankfully cushioned the impact.

In the instant it took to regain her bearings, she stared, wide-eyed, at the raw being of power before her. Jack was on her feet again, fists crackling with biotic energy and murder in her eyes.

***

The moment the collar deactivated, Jack released all the pent-up rage inside her in a massive wave of biotic energy. Caught too off-guard to shield themselves, the asari were hurled them through the air and into the walls and furniture, shouting in shock and pain.

With a snarl, Jack tore the collar away and set about ending her captors with brutal efficiency. She warped one directly in the face, barely pausing to watch her crumple to the ground before moving on the next. That merc tried to reach her gun, but not fast enough. Jack yanked her closer with a singularity, then slammed her into the ground, borrowing a move from Miranda’s playbook. The merc’s body went part-way through the floor, utterly broken by the force.

That left two remaining. Jack and one of the asari turned towards each other, but before either could act, Miranda scrambled off the couch and seized one of the abandoned submachine guns. She dispatched the asari with an expertly placed series of rounds, her shooting especially impressive considering her pants were still around her ankles.

The room went eerily quiet after that. Jack’s body still vibrated with fury, and she cursed when she noticed the fourth asari was missing: their leader, Lyra. “Fucking shit,” she spat, whipping around in search of the purple-skinned merc.

Miranda pulled her up pants, sounding business-like as always in spite of the circumstances. “Check the back of the building. I’ll look out front.”

Jack didn’t argue. She stormed across the common area and through an open door, heading further into the building. Quarters were more cramped here. The former restaurant’s kitchen was just off the main room, stuffed full of armor and weapons, and from what Jack could see, her prey wasn’t hiding there.

She ducked back out and took the nearest hallway, heading toward the small room where the mercs had originally put her. No sign of Lyra there either. “Fuck!” Jack roared, putting her fist through the wall. It caved at the force, leaving a smoldering black hole behind.

A sound caught Jack’s ear — muffled footsteps, coming from somewhere nearby. She whirled toward the sound, only to spot Lyra slipping from one of the bathrooms and racing for the back door. Jack sent a warp speeding after her, but the asari deflected it with a wave of her hand. Lyra fired her pistol in retaliation, but the rounds bounced harmlessly off of Jack’s barrier, and the asari started running.

_ Oh no. You’re not getting away, you fucking bitch. _

Jack took the hallway at a sprint, ripping the door apart rather than open it. The metal groaned but gave easily, and Jack skidded to a stop in the back alley, looking to see which direction Lyra had gone.

Seconds later, the hum of an engine starting up drew her attention toward the parking lot. Lyra was racing across it, using her omni-tool to unlock a nearby skycar.

“Stop!” Jack yelled, while her biotics made a more persuasive argument, grabbing hold of the car and yanking it forward. Lyra couldn’t stop in time, and the impact sent her sprawling to the pavement. Varren-quick, she rolled back to her feet, coming up shooting. The bullets burst into flames when they impacted Jack’s barriers, and even through them, the heat from the incendiary rounds was intense enough to hurt.

Jack growled, but she pressed on and when she returned fire with a massive biotic blast, Lyra’s barriers didn’t hold up as well. The warp sent the asari spinning, and after she steadied herself, Jack saw blood on her forehead.

“You thought it was pretty fucking funny, didn’t you?” Jack snarled as she advanced, her fury wreathing her in biotic energy. “Hurting me when I couldn’t fight back. Now it’s you turn.”

Lyra forced a smile through her bloodied lips. “Your ‘friend’ Lawson is the one who hurt you, you dumb human. And it seems to me she enjoyed it plenty.”

“Bullshit. She was just faking it.” And yet Jack wasn’t sure. Miranda’s arousal and her pleasure had been real, and for an instant, Jack hesitated.

That opening was all Lyra needed. She hurled a lance of biotic energy, and the strike punched a hole in Jack’s weakened barriers. Jack winced, stumbling backward as she struggled to find her bearings. Lyra followed up with a burst from her pistol, and Jack dove behind another skycar just ahead of it.

The car protected her, but she could hear Lyra’s mocking voice clearly as the asari stalked through the parking lot. “You really were sweet on her, weren’t you? And it turns out all she wanted was to humiliate you. How amazingly pathetic.”

_ Bullshit _ , Jack repeated to herself, at last finding a reason to believe.  _ Whatever she did, whatever she felt, she saved me in the end. _

When she rose from behind the car, Lyra fired off another biotic bolt, but Jack had recentered herself. She caught the blast with her own biotics and returned the favor with interest. This time Lyra’s barriers collapsed entirely. She fired off a few more shots as she fell back onto her ass, but they went wide, and Jack didn’t give her the chance to improve her aim.

She seized hold of the skycar again, and this time she lifted it clean off the ground. Lyra tried to roll out of the way, but she was too stunned. All she managed was a final scream as the car slammed down onto her with a definitive crunch.

Silence followed, but it didn’t last long. Jack was still catching her breath when she heard the sound of footsteps running toward her and she turned to see Miranda brandishing a submachine gun, breathing hard.

“Lyra?”

Purple blood seeped out from under the skycar when Jack gestured in its direction. “Got her.”

Miranda nodded. “Good. Although that does mean we don’t have anyone to interrogate about Evan’s whereabouts.”

Jack’s brows furrowed and her eyes narrowed dangerously. “Are you seriously going to give me shit about killing her?”

Miranda’s head fell. “No. Of course not. I’m sure we can get something from their omni-tools that will lead us to Evan. I’m just glad you’re all right.”

_ Am I? _

With the immediate danger past, the rage seeped from Jack’s body. Exhaustion descended over her like a weighted blanket, and she dropped to one knee, suddenly too weak even to support herself.

Miranda crouched beside her, putting a steadying hand on her shoulder. “Jack, what’s wrong?”

_ Everything. _ Jack clenched her teeth, unable to meet Miranda’s gaze. Her willpower was totally depleted, and her eyes stung with tears born of humiliation.  _ Come on. Don’t fucking cry. Not in front of her. _

“Let’s get out of here,” Jack said. “I just need to be… somewhere else.”

“Of course. We’ll check the bodies, then leave as quickly as possible.” Miranda’s hand moved to the middle of her back, rubbing a soothing circle there until she became aware of what she was doing. Jack felt the moment she jerked her hand away acutely. “Sorry. I shouldn’t… I mean, I didn’t think…”

Jack gave a strained laugh. “Fuck. It’s nothing compared to where I’ve touched you.” It suddenly occurred to her that, even though Miranda had possessed more control during the… situation… she might feel violated by it as well.

_ No. This was her choice. Her plan. I know she was trying to get us both out of there alive, but did she have to humiliate me in the process? _

Miranda smiled weakly at the forced joke, but it didn’t reach her eyes. She offered Jack her hand again, this time giving her a choice whether to take it. “We should go.”

Jack sniffed, then nodded once. She didn’t take Miranda’s hand as she rose to her feet. All she wanted was to leave that place and never look back.


	5. Chapter 5

Miranda set Lyra’s omnitool aside, pinching the bridge of her nose. She knew she should feel proud of herself. She’d managed to decrypt the software and recover the communications between the mercs and Evan Dane, but her mood remained somber. Unsatisfied.

_ Guilty? _

The word floated unbidden to the top of her mind. She lay back on the hotel room bed, staring at the ceiling as she listened to the hiss of the shower. Jack had gone inside as soon as they’d arrived, mumbling something about needing to wash up. Miranda couldn’t blame her. Retrieving Lyra’s omnitool had been a slightly messy job, but even without taking that into account, Jack had been through enough.

_ Because of me. I’m the one who hurt her. _

Logically Miranda knew that they hadn’t had many options. She hadn’t liked her chances of taking out four heavily-armed asari mercs while Jack was in that collar and sometimes, unpleasant choices had to be made. But having reasons for what she’d done didn’t make her feel much better.

The hiss of the shower stopped, and Miranda picked up the sound of bare feet on a tile floor. Jack was moving around, which was a good sign, Miranda supposed.

_ What in the galaxy am I supposed to say to her when she comes out? ‘I’m sorry’ won’t cut it, but I can’t just pretend it never happened… that I didn’t… _

The door opened, and Jack poked her head out. Her head was wrapped in a towel, and she wore one of the hotel’s complimentary white linen robes. “Find anything?”

Miranda sighed. Despite her success, she couldn’t bring herself to be enthusiastic about the news. “I was able to glean some information from Lyra’s communications with Dane. If we move quickly, we can surprise him at one of his safehouses.”

“Then let’s go.” Jack stalked over to her discarded pile of clothes, picking them up off the floor.

“You can’t be serious.” Miranda rose from the bed, taking a cautious step toward Jack. “You need  _ rest. _ You’ve been through some serious trauma—”

Jack whirled on her. “Fuck you. You don’t get to decide what’s traumatic for me. Especially considering what you did.”

_ What I did… _

The hurt part of Miranda didn’t want to take ownership of it. She could justify her choices with logic all she wanted, but that didn’t take away from the fact that she had hurt Jack.

“I’m sorry,” Miranda murmured, unsure what else to say.

“You’re  _ sorry?” _ Fire blazed in Jack’s eyes. “You humiliated me in front of a bunch of slimy mercs, and all you can say is you’re  _ sorry?” _

“It was a difficult situation. We were outnumbered and outgunned. I had to play for time.”

“Like that?!” Jack snarled.

The fury in her voice made Miranda hold up her hands defensively. “What did you want me to do instead? Beat you bloody?”

“That would’ve been better, yeah.”

The response hit Miranda like a punch to the gut. She’d told herself that what she’d made Jack do had been the least worst alternative. What did it mean that she’d been wrong? 

“Do you mean that, Jack?” she asked tentatively. “Do you find me so disgusting that you’d rather have your ribs broken than have sex with me?”

“Are you fucking kidding me? You think  _ that’s _ what’s wrong?”

Miranda stumbled backwards until she bumped against the wall. “Then what?”

For a long moment, Jack said nothing, just standing there quivering. A mess of emotions raced across her face until at last they resolved themselves into a stare that made Miranda quiver with its intensity. “You knew how I felt about you and you used that to humiliate me.”

“What you felt…” Before Miranda could finish the thought, Jack was on her. The kiss felt like a slap to the face, not only because of its suddenness, but in the force behind it. Miranda was too stunned to do anything about it, but when Jack’s grabbed her hair and pulled them closer, she gasped into the convict’s mouth. 

“And what about you?” Jack hissed, close enough that her breath was hot on Miranda’s face. “How much of what you said was bullshit?”

“Everything,” Miranda insisted. “I didn’t mean any of it.” Her heart was pounding against her chest, although she couldn’t tell whether it was from excitement or distress.

Jack’s eyes were narrowed, as if she was trying to look straight into Miranda’s soul. “So I never pissed you off?”

“Of course you did. But you changed. Or maybe I did. Or both.”

Miranda was rambling. She  _ never _ rambled, but between the kiss and the accusations, she couldn’t think straight. A part of her wanted to flee, but Jack wasn’t going to let her. She cupped Miranda’s face with one hand, bringing it level with her own. “And now?”

She didn’t know what Jack wanted to hear, but Miranda decided the truth was the best thing she could offer. “I wanted you, too.”

The second kiss was more expected but no less powerful. Jack pinned her against the wall, the towel falling from her head while she plunged her tongue into Miranda’s mouth. Miranda parted her lips, allowing Jack to have control. After Miranda had stripped that away from her earlier, it was the least she could do.

_ Right. And it has nothing to do with how much this is turning you on. _

Jack slid a hand up Miranda’s side, cupping a full breast, while she grabbed hold of Miranda’s hair with the other, pulling her head back. Her mouth went straight to Miranda’s neck, teeth grazing the exposed skin. A tinge of pain mixed in with the pleasure and Miranda couldn’t hold back her moan.

“You wanted this?” Jack growled, squeezing Miranda’s breast.

“Yes,” Miranda panted. The people she’d been with in the past were usually intimidated by her, but not Jack. Jack clearly had every intention of taking her hard, and the thought made Miranda tremble with want.

Jack seized the center of Miranda’s catsuit, a glow appearing around her hands. She yanked and the fabric dissolved beneath the biotic field, the front of Miranda’s bra snapping apart as well. Her nipples were achingly stiff, and when Jack pushed her thumbs across them, Miranda’s knees wobbled.

It was all happening so fast, and yet not fast enough. She wanted more…  _ had _ wanted more since the SR-2 days, if she was being honest. She’d been mildly disgusted with herself then, under the mistaken impression that Jack was “beneath” her, no matter what raw animal magnetism the biotic possessed. Now, Miranda was disgusted with herself for a different reason, even as lust got the better of her.

_ She deserves better than me. _

***

_ What the fuck am I doing? _

Jack had always been a creature of impulse, but this was extreme even for her. Sure, she’d thought about kissing Miranda before. Thought about fucking the smug smirk off the cheerleader’s face too. Once in a blue moon, it was the subject of her masturbatory fantasies.

The reality was completely different.

Miranda’s mouth was hot. Soft. Yielding. She’d always imagined Miranda kissing her back with equal ferocity, instead of just submitting.

_ So what? You never imagined she’d grind herself on your face in front of a bunch of mercs, either. _

Despite the discordance between reality and fantasy, Jack couldn’t stop herself from ravaging Miranda’s mouth. She wanted to take it. Claim it for her own. There were few things in life she could truly call hers, and since she’d recently lost control of her own body and will, it felt surprisingly good to seize hold of someone else’s.

Miranda’s skin smelled nice. Some kind of fruity lotion, maybe. It tasted like sweat, and as she nipped her way down Miranda’s gorgeous swan’s throat, Jack felt the rapid, fearful flutter of a pulse-point beneath her lips. She paused. Part of her wanted Miranda to  _ hurt, _ but Jack didn’t want her to be afraid. For all her bravado, she was tired of people fearing her. Especially someone who might sort of be her friend.

“You get one chance,” she growled beneath Miranda’s diamond-cut jawline. “Tell me no. Otherwise, this is happening. And I’m gonna do whatever I want to you.”

Jack waited, her own heart hammering, until Miranda’s cool blue eyes made contact with hers. They weren’t full of their usual ice, overflowing instead with a warmth Jack hadn’t expected at all. Miranda nodded and mouthed, “Yes,” although Jack couldn’t hear the word.

It was enough. She groped Miranda’s breasts in both hands, squeezing hard. Miranda gasped, a far more audible sound, so Jack did it again, riding a thigh between Miranda’s long, shapely legs. She felt heat through the shredded remains of the catsuit, and it made the hairs on the back of her neck tingle.

_ She was wet for me earlier. Is she now? _

Jack widened the rip at the front of Miranda’s catsuit until it was nothing but fluttering fabric. The lacy underwear beneath it was only a momentary distraction. Jack tore it off as well, plunging her fingers between Miranda’s legs at the same time her mouth bit into the top of Miranda’s right breast.

The yelp Miranda gave was the sweetest, most satisfying sound Jack had ever heard. She sank her teeth deeper, sliding her fingertips through the sticky heat waiting for her.  _ I did this, _ she thought, her head spinning. The knowledge that she’d made Miranda’s body react this way made her feel drunk on a strange power.

Yet Jack needed more. Without further preamble, she plunged two fingers into Miranda’s wetness, a raw cry her reward. She swallowed up the sound with a savage kiss. She wanted to take it in, to devour everything she could from Miranda.

That same hunger made Jack too impatient for any kind of slow torture. She hooked her fingers, searching for that special, swollen place inside Miranda. Once she found it, Jack was merciless. The first curl made Miranda drip into her hand, but that wasn’t good enough. Jack sought total surrender, pressing and thrusting until Miranda whimpered against her.

The display sent a thrill through Jack. The sounds Miranda made reminded Jack that the operative was at  _ her _ mercy now. It was an advantage she intended to exploit to the fullest. She pushed a thumb into Miranda’s mouth, enjoying the eagerness with which she sucked on it.

Jack rewarded her with a deep thrust. “Now who wants it bad?” she growled. Miranda’s only response was to gasp, while Jack punctuated the question by sinking her teeth into the exposed skin of Miranda’s throat. Miranda cried out, and Jack felt her inner walls clench. She grinned. Miranda was already close, but as much as Jack wanted to see her fall apart, she had a better idea.

Without warning, she pulled out, relishing the broken whimper that followed. “Jack, please…”

Jack gave a disapproving snort. “I already got you off once today, cheerleader. You want more, you gotta earn it.”

The mixture of desire and desperation that flashed across Miranda’s face was unbelievably sexy and no sooner had Jack tossed off her robe then Miranda was dropping to her knees. Jack tangled her fingers in Miranda’s hair to push her head forward, but the encouragement was unneeded.

Jack groaned as Miranda’s tongue ran along her thigh, a hissed “Fuck” forcing its way from between her clench teeth. She hated to admit it, but she wanted this, not just for revenge, but because she wanted Miranda. 

Miranda was no more patient than Jack had been. Her tongue delved greedily between Jack’s folds, lapping up her wetness as if her life depended on it. Jack’s grip tightened, and she ground against Miranda’s face, riding it relentlessly. She was determined to stay in control, to take pleasure rather than just being given it.

Jack felt the tension in Miranda’s body, the desperate desire restrained there. Her fingers clutched Jack’s thighs as if she would drown otherwise. Some part of Jack wanted to take pity on Miranda, but there was no way she could do that until she had gotten what she was owed.

“My clit,” she snapped, a great deal of hunger mixed into the order. It got results. Miranda slid upward without delay, teasing Jack’s clit from beneath its hood. “That’s it,” Jack purred. Miranda was definitely good at this, and for a moment at least, Jack forgot to worry about who was in charge and just enjoyed it.

Soon, she was bucking into the willing heat of Miranda’s mouth. The operative’s lips formed a hungry seal, but it wasn’t enough. Jack needed friction. She tightened her grip on Miranda’s hair, fisting the silky locks until Miranda’s moans vibrated against her slick, oversensitive flesh. The sensation was almost enough to make her come all on its own. If only it hadn’t reminded her of when their positions were reversed.

_ Burning eyes. Jeering laughter. _

She released Miranda’s hair, her heart racing.  _ No. Don’t think about that. Just focus on this. On how it feels. _

“Slow down,” she ordered, fighting to keep a tremor out of her voice. 

Miranda looked up, the visible part of her face full of concern, but she did as Jack asked. She sucked more softly, dragging her tongue in gentle, sweeping circles.

The knot of tension in Jack’s gut began to loosen. She placed her hand on Miranda’s head, not yanking her hair this time, but still directing. She closed her eyes for a long moment, and when she opened them again, she was back on the SR-2.

_ What would it have been like, if we’d had sex then? We got into it all the time. Maybe even hated each other. But… _

But Jack liked that fantasy better than the reality she’d just been forced to endure, so she clung to it like a lifeline. They weren’t in a hotel room — they were in the XO’s quarters. She wasn’t taking revenge on Miranda for what had happened with the mercs — they were relieving tension after yet another argument.

Part of her missed those days, but maybe she could make up for lost time and wasted opportunities now. And Miranda’s tongue felt really, really good as it swiped over her clit, still using slow strokes. She gritted her teeth, fighting the urge to shudder.

“Make… make me…”

She meant to say ‘ _ make me come’. _ Meant to phrase it as an order. But as she stared down at Miranda’s face, it came out weaker than she’d intended. She had to swallow around the lump in her throat before she tried again, digging the edges of her nails into Miranda’s scalp for good measure.

“Make me come.”

Miranda obeyed. She increased her pressure and speed — not a lot, just enough to make Jack’s legs shake and her clit twitch. When Miranda’s tongue darted down to tease her entrance, Jack looked away. Her eyes rolled back, and she let her head loll forward, breathing heavily.  _ “Fuck!” _

Her orgasm hit with far more force than she was expecting. It started as a blazing hot ball in the middle of her belly but radiated outward, sending powerful pulses through her core. Her walls clenched, and she almost wished Miranda’s fingers were inside her. Almost. Penetration wasn’t something she granted all her partners, and she didn’t know if she trusted Miranda enough for that.

She did, however, spill a considerable amount of wetness into Miranda’s mouth and onto the lower half of her face. She felt the hot rush of fluid and forced her eyes open to watch as it smeared over Miranda’s cheeks and chin, coating them until they glistened.

It was quite a vision, but it wasn’t all Jack saw. There were also Miranda’s beautiful blue eyes, darkened by a desire too profound to fake. Jack lost herself in those eyes, bucking helpless against Miranda’s mouth until her legs gave out. She fell backwards, landing on the bed with an undignified thud and a muttered, “Fuck,” devoid on any venom. To the extent that she’d had a plan, this hadn’t been it, but right now, Jack didn’t mind.

***

Looking at the contented smile on Jack’s face, Miranda forgot all about her own pleasure. Knowing that she’d managed to ease some of the pain she’d caused mattered more. She didn’t know how to explain that, or any of the other hundred emotions warring in her brain, so she just fell onto the bed next to Jack. Jack wrapped an arm around her, clinging as her climax ebbed.

Finally she managed a panted, “Not bad, cheerleader.” 

In spite of Jack’s efforts to hide it, Miranda heard genuine affection behind the words. She smiled. “I’m glad.”

“Guess you want me to finish you off now.”

The heavy throbbing between her legs still nagged, but Miranda said, “Only if you want to. As you pointed out, I owed you that one.”

“Yeah, I know, but...” Jack looked away, seeming deeply uncomfortable. “Fuck it, I suck at this touchy-feely shit.”

In spite of the moment’s gravity, Miranda managed a small laugh. “It seems talking about emotions isn’t something either of us is good at.”

Much to Miranda’s relief, Jack smiled back at her. “I guess not. But I do wanna make you come again.”

“Then I’m not going to object. How do you want me?”

Some of the teasing edge returned to Jack’s voice. “Just lay back, princess. I’ll take care of everything.”

Miranda took a moment to shed the remains of her clothes before settling against the pile of hotel pillows. This time, Jack wasn’t in a hurry. Rather than pounce on Miranda, she sat at the foot of the bed, taking a long look.

Her stare wasn’t so much predatory as appreciative, but either way, it made Miranda’s skin flush. “Enjoying the view?” she asked with a playful grin.

“Well, you do have fantastic tits.”

Miranda laughed, thinking back to Shepard’s party when Jack had first made that quip. She was just starting to wonder what the commander would make of all this when Jack made her move.

This time, she came at Miranda with finesse instead of raw fire. Jack ran her hands across the operative’s legs, coaxing them apart with surprising gentleness. Miranda was happy to comply, and when Jack buried her face in her breasts and began kissing, Miranda let out a pleased murmur. She might have become temporarily distracted, but the climax she’d been stopped at the precipice of was badly needed.

Thankfully, Jack didn’t make her wait long before leaving Miranda’s breasts, kissing along her stomach before setting in between her thighs. At the first press of Jack’s lips against her skin, Miranda moaned. 

“Yes, Jack,” she murmured. “Please.” She threaded her fingers in the Jack’s soft hair, not pushing, only pleading.

Jack’s tongue swept between Miranda’s lips, flattened to cover as much of the landscape as possible. She moaned and the vibrations caused Miranda to whimper as well. Jack’s hands curled around her thighs, gripping them with a soft surety that somehow made the entire act incredibly intimate.

Miranda fought the urge to rock her hips, but it was useless. The heat of Jack’s mouth was intoxicating, and Miranda couldn’t prevent herself from establishing a gentle, hopeful rhythm. Jack didn’t object. Indeed, she took immediate advantage, increasing the strokes of her tongue at first, then latching onto Miranda’s clit and sucking with delicious pressure.

“Oh!” 

Miranda tightened her grip on Jack’s hair, careful not to pull too hard. She wouldn’t let this be anything like last time. It was only the two of them in this hotel room, and she wanted it to be as much about Jack’s pleasure as her own.

Jack didn’t seem to mind the slight tugging. She growled, releasing Miranda’s clit with a wet pop, and sank her teeth into Miranda’s left thigh. The bite wasn’t painful, but it did make Miranda’s pelvis jerk out of rhythm. Her breath hitched, and she drew her lower lip between her teeth, biting down to stifle more cries.

After that, Jack took an approach that straddled the line between rough and gentle. She kissed and nipped all over Miranda’s inner thighs, leaving a few red patches, but never biting hard enough for bruises. Then she went right back to licking, a surprising amount of pressure behind her soft tongue.

Every so often, she drew Miranda’s clit all the way into her mouth, teasing it with steady sucks before letting go. Each time it hit the cool air, Miranda felt her clit swell and throb with pleasurable neglect. “Jack,” she murmured, letting go of the convict’s hair so she could pet it instead. “Jack, please, Jack…”

Those two words, ‘Jack’ and ‘please’, were the only ones she could remember. She moaned them over and over, spreading her legs wide until two of Jack’s fingers positioned themselves at her entrance. There was a deliberate pause, and Miranda looked down, meeting Jack’s eyes and nodding once.

Jack plunged inside, burying her fingers as deep as possible. Miranda gripped them instinctively, muscles fluttering as she adjusted to the stretch. It wasn’t at all painful, but the feeling overwhelmed her. It was freeing to be full, to place her trust in Jack this way. When Jack’s fingers curled, hooking into her front wall, deep pulses threatened to seize her core. She locked eyes with Jack, holding her breath without meaning to, waiting for… something.

“Miranda…” Jack pulled an inch away, mouth and chin gleaming. “I want you to come.”

To know that Jack wanted this, perhaps for reasons beyond revenge, was Miranda’s tipping point. She came, arching off the bed and shouting Jack’s name. She squeezed hard around Jack’s fingers, milking them for all she was worth, and her clit pounded in the welcoming heat of Jack’s mouth as the steady sucking resumed, followed by the soft, loving strokes of her lover’s tongue.

Miranda shuddered, her release coming in long waves. She never wanted them to stop. As much as the physical sensations, she clung to the connection that she and Jack had somehow forged. Guilt, shame, their complicated past together; all of them were replaced with this single moment.

Perhaps it was through that bond that Jack knew when she’d had enough, releasing Miranda’s clit just at the point where pleasure might’ve shaded into pain. She drew out her fingers as well, licking them clean before looking up to smile at Miranda. It was a genuine expression, affectionate rather than mocking, and Miranda felt warmth fill her. 

“Jack,” she mouthed, “I…”

“Later,” was all Jack said, and Miranda didn’t respond. Jack was right; it was better to enjoy this moment than try to explain it, at least for now. 

Instead she offered a hand and Jack took it, sliding up into Miranda’s arms. The fit was more comfortable than Miranda expected. Jack’s head resting against her breasts, her arm wrapped beneath Miranda’s back, her hair tickling Miranda’s face; all of it felt  _ right _ , the way it should be in spite of the irrationality of that idea. 

She drew her arms around Jack as well, feeling the rise and fall of her chest and the cooling of her sweat. It was a tranquility Miranda was reluctant to break, but she did lean down to place a kiss on Jack’s forehead. Jack reciprocated by planting one on her breasts, and then she laughed softly.

“What’s so funny?”

“The fucking universe. I mean, after everything… and now this.”

The words didn’t need to be clear for their meaning to shine through. Miranda ran her fingers through the short strands of Jack’s hair. “You’re right. But is that a bad thing?”

Jack laughed again, sounding genuinely pleased. “It’s really not.”


	6. Chapter 6

Unease lay heavy on Jack as she stood in the empty storefront, staring out into a darkness broken only by a single functioning streetlight. Whatever was troubling her, Miranda seemed to feel it as well. Standing there with her usual perfect posture, she kept watch in silence.

Jack couldn’t be sure what Miranda was thinking, but for herself, she was glad not to talk. It had been a hell of a day, even if everything had turned out all right. It was going to take a lot of figuring before Jack decided what she felt about what had happened, and introspection wasn’t exactly her strong suit.

Neither was patience. “When will this fucker show up?” she asked, flexing her fingers in and out of a fist.

Miranda raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know. Evan’s message wasn’t specific about what time he’d be here to pick you up.”

A small smile appeared on Jack’s face. “Well, he’ll get me all right.”

“This probably isn’t what he had in mind.”

Jack’s smile broadened. There was something charming about Miranda’s deadpan. Really, there were a lot things that were charming about her, now that Jack allowed herself to notice. “Guess not.”

They drifted back into silence together in the darkness. Jack curled her toes in her boots, struggling to suppress nervous energy. A lot of things could go wrong with this plan, and all of them were screaming for attention in her head.

_What if Dane suspects something? What if he brings too many guards for us to take out? What if he doesn’t come in person? What if… what if…_

Jack swallowed. It would take a long, extremely unlikely chain of events to lead her back into the same position as before: suppression collar on, servicing Miranda for the perverted guards’ delight, but her anxiety made her worry anyway.

_What if it happens again? What if I’m helpless again?_

It was trauma speaking, she knew. Trauma she would have to deal with once this was over. For now, she gritted her teeth and pushed it down. _Think about Chalmers. About your kids. About all the kids out there this guy has hurt. Could keep hurting._

That steadied her. When the headlights of a shuttle descended into a parking space across the street from the restaurant, her heart barely picked up speed. She felt focused. Prepared.

She shared a look with Miranda. “Ready?”

Miranda took a visible breath. “Yes.” She hesitated, then added, “Be safe,” with a slight tremor.

A lump rose in Jack’s throat, as though it was filling up with feelings there wasn’t room for in her chest. “You too.”

“Jack, I…”

Miranda’s eyes shifted to the side.

Jack licked her lips. “Yeah. Same.”

The headlights across the street switched off, and three shadowy figures approached the restaurant. Jack stepped back, remaining in the room but keeping away from the sightline of the front doors. It was on Miranda to talk Evan Dane into the building.

_Okay, Cheerleader. Don’t fuck this up._

On Miranda’s wrist, Lyra’s omnitool buzzed. Without looking down at it, Miranda approached the door, wearing a rather emotionless smile. She opened it. Jack listened intently.

“Evan. It’s been a long time.”

“Miranda?” a cultured male voice said in English. “This is… unexpected.”

Miranda tilted her head. “Didn’t Lyra tell you? She had assistance with this particular acquisition.” She placed one hand on her hip, shifting into a more seductive stance. “You didn’t think a handful of asari mercenaries could bring in Subject Zero without inside help, did you?”

Although Jack couldn’t see Dane or his guards from her hiding place, the beat of silence that followed spoke to his suspicion.

“I see your hired help hasn’t been as communicative with you as one might hope. Please, come in. I’ll take you to Zero… and don’t worry, there’s no need for extra payment. This favor had a personal benefit for me.”

“Personal benefit?” Dane asked, clearly confused.

“I heard rumors about your operation,” Miranda said, “and I thought to myself, why not assist an old colleague and deal with one of my own problems at the same time? Subject Zero and I have quite the troubled history.”

“Curious. I’ve never known you to be one for revenge, Miranda.”

Miranda raised an eyebrow. “That’s because you’ve never been on my bad side, Evan.”

“True.” Dane cleared his throat. “Inside,” he said to his accomplices. “Let’s meet Lyra and get this over with.”

“She and the others are in the back,” Miranda said. “They insisted on having a little fun with Subject Zero before you got here. Don’t worry though. It’s nothing _too_ damaging.”

Evan scoffed. “Why am I not surprised? Honestly, I should find more professional muscle.”

“Yes, you should.” Miranda stepped aside, reaching casually for her hip.

Jack tensed. That was the signal. She only waited to strike long enough to see the look of shock on Dane’s face when she stepped out in front of him, unbound and crackling with biotic power. His guards raised their rifles, but before they could use them, she unleashed a massive wave of force that hurled all three men back against the restaurant wall.

They’d come prepared for a possible betrayal, wearing shields that prevented them from being turned into smears on the wall, but they were still left stunned. Miranda pressed her pistol to one of the guard’s chests and pulled the trigger, blowing a hole clean through his armor and out the back of his spine.

His corpse was still sliding to the ground when Jack slammed a warp into the other guard’s head. That gave Dane enough time to level his gun at her, but Miranda grabbed hold of his wrist and twisted hard. The pistol fell from his hand with a pained yelp, and Miranda pushed him back up against the wall.

“Why?” he blurted out. Even that one word was enough to betray the panic that had overwritten his earlier, smooth persona.

Miranda slid her pistol underneath his chin. “It wasn’t personal, Evan. You and I just aren’t in the same business anymore.”

“Speak for yourself,” Jack hissed. “This asshole took one of my kids, which makes it pretty goddamn personal to me.”

“What kid?” Dane asked, his eyes darting frantically between Jack and Miranda.

Jack took a step toward him, her fingers curling into a fist that crackled with biotic energy. The raw, angry part of her wanted to use that power to rip the man limb from limb, but she held herself back. “Chalmers. From Grissom Academy. Your asshole mercs kidnapped him for you.”

His eyes widened, and Miranda added, “Think hard, Evan. You can imagine how fond Subject Zero is of former Cerberus members.”

Though Jack was softening on one particular ex-Cerberus operative, there was no need to tell Dane that part. She grabbed the top of his head, applying enough biotically enhanced pressure to make it clear that she could pop it like a rotten melon.

Dane squirmed in her gasp but couldn’t go very far with Miranda’s arm on his chest. “Stop! Stop! I remember him now.”

Jack eased off, but didn’t release him. “Then where is Chalmers?!”

“I sold him to a krogan group operating on Tuchanka. They wanted samples from a variety of species as part of their research into increasing the trait’s frequency in their own people. As if those animals…”

Clearly, Miranda had no more patience for Dane than Jack did, because she cut off his rant with a hard slap across the face. “We don’t need your opinions, Evan, just your information. Were the biotics shipped alive or dead?”

“Alive,” he whimpered pathetically. “They needed them alive.”

“That’s good to know.” She turned to Jack. “I’m sure Wrex will be glad to take care of these krogan for us.”

“No doubt,” Jack agreed. “What are we going to do with this idiot?”

“We’re going to hand him over to the Alliance, who’s he’s going to give a full briefing on every bit of dirt he’s been involved in, starting with the coordinates of these krogan. And if he does a very good job of it, he’ll serve his sentence in a prison where people don’t know about all of that dirt.”

It wasn’t as satisfying a solution as turning the man into a smear on the wall, but Jack had to admit it was more sensible. _Besides, it’s not like he knew what those mercs were gonna do to me._ “That’s fine for now,” she agreed grudgingly, “but here’s the thing, Cerberus scum… one of these days, when you’re rotting away in prison, you’re gonna turn around and see me there. The Alliance owes me and Commander Shepard _lots_ of favors, yeah? And if, after you’ve been useful, you just happened to disappear… I don’t think they’ll even bother with the paperwork.”

Jack leered in Dane’s face, watching his eyes roam wildly in their sockets. The look of terror face didn’t fix everything, but it did give her at least a bit of the satisfaction she’d been missing.

***

“It went surprisingly well, all things considered,” Miranda said to Liara’s hologram as Jack flew the skycar into a new lane of traffic. “We’ve dropped Dane off with the Alliance and they should be sending him back to Earth shortly.”

“And I’ll pass along your information to Wrex.” Liara’s hologram began typing on a haptic interface, sending the message as they spoke. “Hopefully, we can recover Chalmers and the others quickly.”

“Yeah,” Jack sighed. “And make sure they bring medics. Who knows what kind of _tests_ they’ve done to the kid?”

The iciness in Jack’s voice was a reminder that she, too, had been a test subject for most of her childhood — and it made Miranda even more furious at the man they’d captured that night. _I’m not blameless myself, if I’m being honest. Even though I never experimented on Jack, I’ve done similar things in the name of pushing humanity forward… Looking back, it’s a miracle she didn’t kill me during our SR-2 days._

“I will make sure Wrex sends all available resources,” Liara said, with obvious sympathy. “But what about you? Are you sure neither of you were injured?”

There was a notable pause.

“We’re fine,” Jack said at last. She gave Liara a weak smile. “Promise.”

Liara smiled back. “Good. Shepard has been worried about the two of you.”

“Yeah, well, you can tell her I didn’t strangle the cheerleader. She was actually helpful, believe it or not.”

“And I’m starting to develop an appreciation for Jack’s attitude,” Miranda added. “It’s quite amusing, at least when I’m not its primary target.”

Liara tilted her head, looking at the two of them with unconcealed interest. “Really?”

“Goodbye, Liara,” Miranda said, suddenly eager to end the communication. “Keep us updated.”

“You as well.”

Liara’s hologram disappeared, and Miranda leaned back in her chair. “I have to admit, Jack, I’m surprised you described me as helpful, considering everything that happened.”

Jack kept her eyes fixed on the cars in front of them. “Yeah, well. You did what you had to.”

Miranda sighed. She wanted to avert her eyes, but continued looking at Jack instead, accepting the tight ball of shame in her chest as something she would have to carry. “Perhaps, but it doesn’t change the fact that I hurt you.”

At last, Jack met her stare. “I forgive you, okay? I’m choosing to see it as something those merc assholes did to me, but if that’s what you want to hear…”

“This isn’t about what I want to hear,” Miranda replied gently, but Jack cut her off.

“I know. I’m making the choice for me, too. Because, honestly? You’re… my friend. Maybe something more. And I don’t want to see that get fucked up, okay? I’ve lost enough people already.”

“So have I.”

Silence followed, and rather than break it with words, Miranda slid a hand onto Jack’s shoulder. She went slowly enough that Jack had plenty of time to pull away, and when she didn’t, Miranda felt emboldened to continue. “Listen, Jack, about that ‘something more’ you mentioned...”

“That was stupid.” Jack seemed to shrink in on herself. “I know you wouldn’t actually want to be with someone like me.”

Miranda squeezed down on Jack’s shoulder in a way she hoped was reassuring. “That’s the opposite of what I was going to say.”

“Then what?”

Jack’s tone was defensive, but Miranda could hear something else behind it — hope, perhaps — that encouraged her to answer honestly.  “What happened with the mercenaries was horrible, but later, at the hotel, that was something we both wanted. That I’ve wanted for a long time, to be honest.”

“Yeah, well, you already know I’ve thought about it for a while too.”

“I do. And that’s why I’m asking if want to try doing this for real.”

Jack’s eyes widened. “Like dating? As girlfriends and shit?” She sounded incredulous, but not in a bad way.

“Something like that. Us being who we are. I doubt it will be conventional, but if you’re willing to try, I’d really like that.”

The smile on Jack’s face started small, but by the time she answered, it had grown into a broad grin. “Fuck it. Let’s give it a shot.”

Miranda laughed, partly at Jack’s unsentimental phrasing, but also because the tightness in her chest had finally released. She had wanted that ‘yes,’ more than was reasonable, and now that she had it, a strange giddiness overcame her. “Not the most romantic response I’ve ever heard, but I’ll take it.”

The smile didn’t leave Jack’s face, but a devilish edge crept into it. “How about after we get back to the hotel, I fuck your brains out again? Is that romantic enough for you?”

Miranda licked her lips. “How about we find a deserted spot where we can pull over and skip the wait?”

Jack took one hand off the wheel, and when she ran it down Miranda’s leg, sparks followed. “I think this thing is gonna work out just fine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap on this story. Hope you enjoyed it and thanks for all the feedback.


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